


Not That Simple

by royal_ruin



Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: Angst, Episode: s01e01 Pilot, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, No Smut, Past Child Abuse, Sorry Not Sorry, maybe a little making out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:07:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27742711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/royal_ruin/pseuds/royal_ruin
Summary: JJ ditches after the incident with the gun at the keg party. He comes back to the Chateau beat up.**This includes references to child abuse and dealing with child abuse.
Relationships: JJ & John B. Routledge, JJ (Outer Banks) & John B. Routledge, JJ/John B. Routledge
Comments: 3
Kudos: 46





	Not That Simple

**Author's Note:**

> The song I used for this fic is All You Need to Know by Gryffin

_[Anything you feel, put it all on me/_ _All of your thoughts, I want everything/_ _And when you get sad, like you do sometimes/_ _Put it all on me/_ _Put it all on me/_ _I'll lift you when you're feeling low/_ _I'll hold you when the night gets cold/_ _You'll never have to be alone/_ _And that's all you need to know]_

John B couldn’t sleep. He was completely and utterly exhausted, but he couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned, unable to get the night out of his head. He genuinely thought for a second there that he was going to die when Topper was holding his head under. Then, JJ came to his rescue, as always. After everyone had left, even the Pogues decided to split, thinking that the police might have been called. John B had expected JJ to come with him to the Chateau, but JJ replied saying he needed some air. John B wanted to object, but the look on JJ’s face stopped him. 

Back to now, John B finally decided to get up, picking up a half-finished bottle of beer beside the bed. As he raised the bottle to his lips, he debated whether he should go out and find JJ. He grabbed his beat-up phone from the bedside table, checking the time. 

_4:28._

He tried to ignore the awful churning feeling in his gut as he checked his messages to see if JJ had replied to John B’s message asking when JJ would be home.

 _Home._ John B had asked when JJ would be _home._

Choosing to ignore that for now, John B focused on the fact that JJ hadn’t replied despite the fact that John B had sent that message over two hours ago. He tried calling JJ’s cell, but it only ended up going to voicemail. JJ had an awful habit of forgetting to charge his phone, so it didn’t have to mean anything, but there was no way John B could ignore the feeling in his gut that was telling him that something was seriously wrong with JJ. John B sighed, making his decision quickly. 

A few years ago after JJ’s dad had hurt him badly, JJ had run. After the fight with his dad, JJ had come over to the Chateau, like normal when John B’s dad wasn’t home. There was a large gash on JJ’s arm from a large piece of glass and JJ had had what seemed like a mild concussion. John B stitched JJ up to the best of his ability and had gone to get ice for JJ’s head when he heard the front door slam. He had rushed back to the couch where JJ had been sitting moments ago only to find him gone. John B checked all of JJ’s usual places, the beach, behind the gas station, the cliff, but JJ hadn’t been at any of those places. He had even asked Pope (they weren’t friends with Kiara yet) if he’d seen JJ, without mentioning what JJ’s dad did to him because John B knew there’d be hell to pay if he had. After hours of absolutely no JJ, John B climbed up into the rafters of the only church in town, exhausted after hours of searching, hoping that maybe JJ was there. The church rafters were JJ and JJ’s mom’s special place before she had left. He hadn’t checked before because JJ still hated the church with a burning passion and would avoid it at all costs. Seeing JJ curled up in the corner John B let out a sigh of relief. Walking up to JJ he noticed that JJ’s phone was out and open to a picture of him and John B. Making a quick decision, he opened JJ’s Find my Phone app and turned on location sharing to himself. Every single time JJ got a new phone, John B would do the exact same thing, but he had had no reason to use it yet. He hadn’t gotten caught yet, thankfully, because he knew JJ would be extremely mad at John B.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the Find my Phone app and checked JJ’s last available location because his phone was still off. At first, John B noticed that it seemed like JJ’s last known location an hour ago was near JJ’s father’s house.

 _No way_ , John B thought. _There’s no way JJ would - why would he-_

John B was up and tugging on his shoes in an instant, grabbing the keys to the van and a jacket for JJ without pausing to think. He yanked the knob to the bedroom open, racing through the mess he called his living room. He pulled the front door open-

And almost barreled right into JJ. He steadied himself before he could, leaving only a few inches between JJ and himself. He was so close that he felt JJ flinch back from him, almost tripping over the porch before John B gently set his hand over JJ’s back to make sure he didn’t fall. In the silence, John B’s breathing was loud from the panic and adrenaline that were starting to leave his body at the sight of JJ. His eyes flicked between JJ’s in the dim porch light, not able to stop his eyes from flicking down to JJ’s lips once. Mentally shaking himself, it wasn’t the time for that, John B forced himself not to hug JJ as tight as he could, instead deciding to back up and pull JJ into the house by his wrist. Inside the house, John B flicked on the lights and cleared off the couch, motioning for JJ to sit. John B, turned, dropping the jacket and the keys that were still in his hand onto the dining table. Turning back to JJ, who was sitting on the couch watching him, he started cataloging the injuries he could see. JJ spoke first, breaking the silence.

“I didn’t know the sight of me could leave you so speechless, John B.” John B snorted, part relief, part to cover the slight blush across his cheeks. He grabbed to first aid kit, going back to kneeling in front of JJ. Pulling out the antiseptic, John B squeezed some onto a small gash below JJ’s cheekbone. JJ clenched his jaw tightly, the antiseptic no doubt stinging. John B pulled back a little, searching for a cotton ball to soak up the excess antiseptic. Normally JJ would be filling up the silence with non-stop chatter, but he was completely silent. 

John B couldn’t handle it anymore, so he asked, “All this happen during the fight?”

“No.” That was all JJ said, not expanding any further. Finally finding some cotton, John B went back to cleaning up the cut and tending to the other one near JJ’s hairline. 

“Did you go back?” John B asked, not missing the way JJ’s adam’s apple bobbed nervously. John B leaned back a little to give JJ a little space. 

“The gun’s safe. It’s in the bag.” JJ responded, kicking the bag at his feet that John B hadn’t noticed.

“I wasn’t asking about the gun.” John B spit out coldly, harsher than he meant to.

“John B” JJ said softly, avoiding his eyes. John B sighed loudly and then motioned for JJ to lift his shirt so that he could see the damage. It took every fiber of John B’s body to not get up and punch the wall, only because he didn’t want to scare JJ. JJ tensed, noticing John B’s reaction, and grabbed his shirt to tug it on again. John B stopped him, raking his eyes over the freshly forming bruises, and then trailed his fingers softly over JJ’s ribs to make sure they weren’t fractured or broken. 

“I think they’re just bruised. I’m gonna get some ice, yeah?” John B said, softly, trying to hide his rising anger. John B return with the ice as fast as possible, not wanting to leave JJ on his own, just in case.

“I almost used it.” John B hears JJ mutters softly as he takes the ice pack and applies it on his ribs.

“What?” John B asks, taking a seat on the pullout couch next to JJ.

“The gun. I almost used it on Luke. I-I almost shot him.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!! I would really appreciate it if you could give some constructive criticism.


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